Sharp Knives!

We are coming up to 25 years of marriage, and a number of wedding gifts have become old and worn out through constant use. Last year, we replaced the great majority of our towels. As I was doing this I remembered the comments from my Mam's friends who were exclaiming over the piles of towels we received when we were getting married. They were delighted at the stacks of brand new, fluffy towels. Many had married between 25-30 years ago, and their wedding towels were now very worn. 

This year, it's the turn of knives. The wedding knives have given good service, but are now blunt and worn out. The way they were made means they can't easily be sharpened. Whilst in Gloucester, I bought two knives. So sharp! So very sharp! Cutting food is now so very easy. It's a revelation.

When I buy items I try to keep a number of things in mind. For me, one of the most important is the the words of William Morris, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."  This is then tied into the idea of 'cost per use'. If an item costs a lot of money, but will be used again and again, and again, then the cost per use is low, and it's a good investment.  If an item is low cost, but will only be used a few times, then it's not worth it. The last principle is 'buy once, buy well'. Buy things that will last and last.